How much is a prepaid phone and what cards work with them?

A:

Quick Answer

Prepaid phones can cost as low as $3 for a Kyocera Kona flip phone, or as much as $750 for a Samsung Galaxy Note 4 smartphone. The only cards that can be used with most prepaid phones are the cards associated with the companies that service the phones.

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The price of a phone depends on the brand name, phone style and company. Phones with more features tend to cost more, which means that smartphones generally cost more than phones with sliding keyboards, and phones with sliding keyboards generally cost more than flip phones.

As of early 2015, T-Mobile and Virgin Mobile phones tend to be more expensive while Net 10, MetroPCS and PayLo phones tend to be less expensive, and Samsung phones tend to be more expensive than Kyocera phones. It is important to keep in mind that some phones come with a certain amount of usage time preloaded on them. This can make them more expensive than their competitors.

It is important to know the company servicing a prepaid phone when it becomes necessary to add more usage time to it. Any card that labels itself as adding minutes or time to a phone can only be used for the network it is associated with. There are calling cards that can be used to dial international or domestic numbers, but the prepaid phone must already have cell phone service to use these cards, and the cards cannot be used for texting or data services.